Ars Technica is reporting that US Retailer Best Buy has been able to sell less than 10% of the TouchPad tablets that it ordered from HP, and now wants HP to take them back. Similarly, deal-a-day site Woot offered TouchPads at a very aggressive price, and only managed to sell 612 of them. This is for a site that often sells out goofy tech widgets in hours. When the TouchPad was gearing up for release, there seemed to be a fair amount of interest among geeks. Is it just that it hasn't resonated the same way with the general public, or have people just been disappointed once they've put their hands on one?

This is a good point. There are dozens of different MP3 players out there, but basically the iPod won out permanently there.

However it is a much more limited device where the iPod can basically perfect the task. Less so for a complex device like a tablet. There is more room for different approaches here, but the big missing factor on all the other devices is continuity. You invest $700 in a tablet you want some assurance that apps, accessories, and support will continue to be available for the forseeable future. None of the other tablet manufacturers have that kind of commitment.